- Could it be that last night I attended the "New Parents Freshmen Orientation" at our local high school? No, it's not possible that I'm the mother of a child entering high school this fall. But, alas, it is true and I tell you I left that meeting totally overwhelmed. Honestly, the counselors made it sound like the course selections you make today will affect your entire life --college, career, etc. They really were saying things like "if your child wants to be an accountant, then he/she should do this...if your child is planning to attend medical school than you need to consider this..." My daughter can't decide what to wear on most days, let alone know what career she is interested in. Do they really expect our kids to have figured all of this out? Then all the talk of AP, IB (International Baccalaureate), Distinguished Diplomas, weighted GPAs~my head was swimming. My hope is that I can digest this info. a bit more in the coming days and get the real "scoop" from friends who have already done the high school thing. I can tell you that a one hour meeting in the school cafeteria just doesn't cut it!
- While all of this is weighing on my mind, so is the fact that tomorrow is "Brown Day" at preschool, and I cannot think of one thing in Bonus Baby's wardrobe that has a stitch of brown in it? I can handle "Blue, Yellow, Red, Orange, and of course Pink & Green Day," but "Brown Day"????? All I can think about is the fact that if BB does not have something brown to put on in the morning, she will be one very mad & unhappy camper. Oh great!
- Next, I begin to wonder how Big Bro is doing at school today, since exactly five minutes before walking out the door for school, he informs me that he is supposed to "dress-up" like a Patriot for his Social Studies debate today. I think we could have maybe thrown together a New England Patriots football uniform together, but an 18th century Son of Liberty?? Luckily, the dress-up part was actually worth five extra points. He ran upstairs and got his navy blue blazer. I grabbed some construction paper out of the pantry (that's where we keep all our school craft goodies) along with some scissors and a stapler, and we were able to assemble some sort of hat with the three corners that maybe if you squinted real hard somewhat resembled a colonial-looking hat. We did all this while creeping through the carpool line! I guess I could have really gotten mad and lectured him on checking his assignment book and managing his time better, but since the apple does not fall far from the tree, and I've been known to get into predicaments like this myself, I decided I would share the skill of "winging it." I don't think that's the way to go through life, but sure is a skill worth having!
- Those thoughts led me to ponder the fact that I truly think my ADD brain comes with many gift and advantages. I think my creativity and ability to think on my feet all come from my somewhat busy brain. I can definitely "think out of the box" with the best of them...
- Even more snippets that ran through me head...should I paint BB's room; I want to read more poetry; maybe we should get Netflix; what vitamins do I really need to be taking; my college roommate's birthday is this weekend, maybe I should call her; what should I wear to the Heart Ball next month...
Just a few of the things I ponder during a run. I used to run with my iPod, but I have found that the time goes much faster when I can just let my mind wander. I actually think it's kind of fun! I equate it to productive daydreaming -- I'm actually doing something worthwhile (exercising) and getting to daydream the whole time. Try it, it might work for you, too.
7 comments:
sounds exactly like our life..my son started his freshman year this year...he has 630 am workouts, weight lifting and then fitness classes, basketball practice after school and i guess homework! i worry myself to death that he's too tired to even listen in class. did they mention in orientation about going to the SAT website everyday?
At least when you say something about high school, everybody can say "omg, you're much too young to have a child in HS!"
And if you need IB advice--I am the expert. Both girls got the diploma, I'm the IB Booster Club president and I've been a proctor for exams for years.
I would love some IB advice. Sure sounds like you've got some experience. Maybe you could email me and I could ask some questions. Word on the street here is that the program is very demanding and my daughter would not have the time to play school soccer and volleyball -- two sports she dearly loves.
Most of our IB grads are varsity athletes, a couple in three sports and plenty in two, so IMO that's a lot of BS.
It depends on the philosophy of your school--some schools go on and on about how HARD it is and others say "yeah, it's demanding, but we think you can do it". That's what ours is like.
I'll email you.
You should definitely get netflix! We love it. I wish I could run without an Ipod. I find I can run farther when I can't hear myself gasping for air!
The bit about trying to find something brown for your preschooler to wear cracked me up - we just went through this two months ago. I ended up running out to target the night before and buying her a brown tee as I knew there was no way she would ever voluntarily wear it again.
your blog is so enjoyable to read... Bonus Baby??? that's funny,do tell?
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